First, I can't possibly be the only person who thinks it is insane that the railroad wants to blast artillery into Glacier National Park to reduce avalanche damage.
Today traffic along the park's southern border is heavier than it ever has been, says Gus Melonas, a spokesperson for BNSF. More than 40 trains cross near the area every day.
Melonas says that the company already maintains 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) of snow sheds along the mile (1.6 kilometers) of track where avalanches are most likely.
But one of the sheds on the BNSF line was destroyed by fire. And some avalanche paths have become wider than the existing sheds, requiring extensions to be constructed for full protection.
Repairs and additional construction of sheds along this section of railroad would cost an estimated $110 million (U.S.).
BNSF proposed blasting rather than building more snow sheds, he said, because building would be "too time-consuming and too expensive.
"[Blasting] is proven and safe and used throughout North America," he said. "With more trains running these days, there is an increased chance of there being another accident. It is all about safety."
Park officials have been studying the BNSF proposal and will issue a report on the potential impacts to Glacier's human visitors and animal inhabitants.
Also, via Jenny D., the bones of an "elephant sized camel" have been found in Syria.
The previously unknown species lived about a hundred thousand years ago and was "as big as a giraffe or an elephant," the archaeologists say.
Based on comparisons between the ancient remains and modern-day counterparts, researchers estimate that the animal stood 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall, making it almost twice the size of living camels.
I love this kind of story - part of what got me so jazzed about The Race to Save the Lord God Bird was how amazing that bird was. (And did you hear that they think it has now been found in FL as well?) I also feel absurdly hopeful that the team working on this discovery in Syria is from all over the world. We can't seem to settle much these days, but it's pretty damn cool that an international bunch is sitting down to talk about an extinct camel.
Finally, I have just finished reading the most delightful YA historical novel. A Drowned Maiden's Hair takes place in 1909 and involves the spiritualism movement in the US which resulted in mediums conducting all sorts of seances and promising communications with the dead. In the story, young Maud is adopted from a rather nasty orphanage by a trio of odd older women who need a young girl to seal the deal with a client who is hoping to contact her drowned daughter. The women are not cruel, but what they do to their clients (in providing false hope) is certainly unkind and Maud makes a long mental journey through gratitude and into disgust as the book progresses. A lot of stuff happens and part of what I loved (other than how wonderfully the setting and time are nailed) is that no one is perfect- not Maud, not the client, Mrs. Lambert, not even the dead girl. Everyone is running around in these shades of grey and you wonder at one point, (at least Maud makes you wonder) would these false spirit guides exist if people weren't so desperate to cling to the past? It's an interesting question and Mrs. Lambert certainly has an opinion on it, but it gives the reader reason to pause and think, along with lots of other issues raised in the story. I'm putting together a historical fiction piece for Eclectica next round and this title will certainly be in it. It was a great grand story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
October 12
2006
05:22 AM
Ooo. Drowned Maiden sounds like it'll be right up my alley. I'll have to snag it soon.